The invention relates generally to printing multi-color images, and in particular to printing large size images preferably using an ink jet printer.
Typically, color ink jet printing is done on a non-colored surface or media such as white paper. Of course, however, the printing can be done on a colored surface or media, such as colored paper. In either instance, a full compliment of the various color printing inks, e.g. cyan, magenta and yellow inks are used. Moreover, the various color printing inks are applied pixel-by-pixel to the selected surface.
When the selected surface originally is colored rather than white, the color of the surface generally bears no relation to the color of the inks to be applied to that surface. Thus, the color of the selected surface does not reduce the amount of inks to be applied, nor does it reduce the time required to apply the inks.
Prior art U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,643 B1 issued May 8, 2001 briefly mentions that, preparatory to ink jet printing, information is obtained which is indicative of an original color of the selected surface to which the inks are to be applied. This is done in order to modify the digital printing file to correct for any color aberrations caused by the original color of the selected surface.
A method of printing a multi-color image on a particular surface, using a digital image file having a discrete number of pixels that collectively represent the multi-color image, said method comprising:
determining a relatively large area of the multi-color image that is represented by less than the total number of pixels, but which pixels each have a common printing color component;
forming an outline of the determined relatively large image area on the particular surface the multi-colored image is to be printed;
providing a colored receiver layer within the formed outline that is the same color as the common color component, but which color has a selected low color value;
applying a non-colored receiver to an area on the particular surface that is outside the formed outline on the particular surface, to provide a non-colored receiver layer on the particular surface in addition to the colored receiver layer on the particular surface;
modifying the digital image file by subtracting the selected low color value from the pixels representing the relatively large area, to provide a printing file for printing the multi-color image; and
printing the multi-color image on the colored and non-colored receiver layers, using the printing file, to make a print of the multi-color image on the particular surface.